CVE-2026-63818: f2fs: validate orphan inode entry count

Severity: high (CVSS 8.4 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-07-19 · updated 2026-08-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: validate orphan inode entry count f2fs_recover_orphan_inodes() trusts the orphan block entry_count when replaying orphan inodes from the checkpoint pack. A corrupted entry_count larger than F2FS_ORPHANS_PER_BLOCK makes the recovery loop read past the ino[] array and interpret footer or following data as inode numbers. On a crafted image, mounting an unpatched kernel can drive orphan recovery into f2fs_bug_on() and panic the kernel. Validate entry_count before consuming entries so corrupted checkpoint data fails the mount with -EFSCORRUPTED and requests fsck instead. Set ERROR_INCONSISTENT_ORPHAN as well, so the corruption reason can be recorded in the superblock s_errors[] field. This gives fsck a persistent hint even though mount-time orphan recovery failure may leave no chance to persist SBI_NEED_FSCK through a checkpoint.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 3.8 — fixed in 7.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 7.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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